Commerce
We hired a car to take us from Delhi to Dehradun. In order to pay closer-to-an-Indian fare, we waited around the taxi stand for an hour or so. It would have been a great place to take pictures, but by then my American batteries had died and I was finding my way through the world of buying batteries in India. I took Krishna's advice to buy Duracell Plus only after discovering the hard way that the American custom of 'branding' is not respected in India. Apparently anyone can call their product "Kodak," or "Fuji," or whatever will sell.
The economy in India is very vibrant. Passing through so many different communities in autos and rickshaws, I thought over and over, it's capitalism in action!
The difference between capitalism here and capitalism there, as I see it, is that there, it's democratic capitalism, and here, it's increasingly totalitarian capitalism. There, there's something for everyone just about everywhere.
I saw rows of stalls sprouting up against the high walls of the new estates in the outskirts of New Delhi—the servants can't be expected to drive for everything the household needs. A folding table, a canopy and something to sell is all you need.
People, not corporations, are still supplying the people, though the corporations are making serious inroads, as the ubiquitous Frito-Lay's snack packets announce. But for now, the variety of stuff available remains stunning.
India is a shopper's paradise even to those of us willing to pay the non-Indian price.
But what about the poverty, you say. What about the beggars?
It's true that people in India seem to have their hands out all the time. In fact, I discovered that the asking for help seems to go right up the classes; people at each level are holding out their hands to those at the next level. But there's an explanation to this that makes sense to me.
It has to do with what has value. In India, theoretically anyway, there are advantages to being on both sides of the begging scenario. The beggar's position offers constant opportunities to be grateful, a state of mind that potentially moves you up the ranks in your next life. And the donor, of course, has the chance to be generous, which also gets points. Material goods are less important than your state of mind. The older person who gives up everything to become a renunciate, a sanyasin , is more respected than the rich man.
Ganesh Baba used to argue with my father, repeatedly telling him that the people of India were richer than the Americans because, no matter what their station in life, most Indians were happier than most Americans. I think Baba was right.
The economy in India is very vibrant. Passing through so many different communities in autos and rickshaws, I thought over and over, it's capitalism in action!
The difference between capitalism here and capitalism there, as I see it, is that there, it's democratic capitalism, and here, it's increasingly totalitarian capitalism. There, there's something for everyone just about everywhere.
I saw rows of stalls sprouting up against the high walls of the new estates in the outskirts of New Delhi—the servants can't be expected to drive for everything the household needs. A folding table, a canopy and something to sell is all you need.
People, not corporations, are still supplying the people, though the corporations are making serious inroads, as the ubiquitous Frito-Lay's snack packets announce. But for now, the variety of stuff available remains stunning.
India is a shopper's paradise even to those of us willing to pay the non-Indian price.
But what about the poverty, you say. What about the beggars?
It's true that people in India seem to have their hands out all the time. In fact, I discovered that the asking for help seems to go right up the classes; people at each level are holding out their hands to those at the next level. But there's an explanation to this that makes sense to me.
It has to do with what has value. In India, theoretically anyway, there are advantages to being on both sides of the begging scenario. The beggar's position offers constant opportunities to be grateful, a state of mind that potentially moves you up the ranks in your next life. And the donor, of course, has the chance to be generous, which also gets points. Material goods are less important than your state of mind. The older person who gives up everything to become a renunciate, a sanyasin , is more respected than the rich man.
Ganesh Baba used to argue with my father, repeatedly telling him that the people of India were richer than the Americans because, no matter what their station in life, most Indians were happier than most Americans. I think Baba was right.
posted by Eve at 8:49 PM
4 Comments:
It is commonly observed that American capitalism has drifted away from the free-market model of Adam Smith. Some claim that our current brand of capitalism is now a Darwinian form (survival of the fittest.) Others think this is an insult to Darwin, whose theory about natural selection did not preclude altruistic behaviors.
Whatever one's theoretical beliefs, one cannot help but notice the wonderfully creative and vibrant capitalism practiced in Third World countries. U.S. capitalism is often ham-strung by regulations (e.g., Giuliani harassing street vendors in NYC) or by corruption (e.g., billions of Federal subsidies spent on millionaire farmers so they can become richer and destroy the livelihoods of their competitors.)
This is why I will never call the Third World the "developing world." It's both an insult and it's fundamentally inaccurate. Very exciting things are happening there and we can learn much from Third World countries.
I heard people there comment many times that India is "coming up." A headline in a newspaper spoke of the "current boom." I wonder if the kind of growth that's happening in India now is a good or a bad thing.
Nice blog!!!
Bewildered by India's capitalism... Ummm... What if we asked the same about the US... Is it at good or a bad thing??? - considering the devastating effects and influence of american economy on more than a "developing country"...
Hope you keep enjoying your adventure (and letting us know about it)
:)
Is it a good thing that huge corporations control the market while small businesses struggle to keep the tiniest corner? I don't think so. I thought it was great that in India demand seemed to create supply, i.e., the vendors setting up shop unobstructed in the new neighborhoods. Here, supply creates demand through manipulation of the media. It's a topdown system compared to India's bottom up.
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